Working Papers: [2] "Pollution Masks and The Demand for Clean Air: Experimental Evidence from Delhi" Patrick Baylis, Michael Greenstone, Kenneth Lee, and Harshil Sahai. 2021. Abstract: The demand for clean air is a key input in assessing the benefits and costs of air pollution policies, yet there are few estimates of this demand in the world's most polluted cities. We present results from a field experiment designed to estimate the marginal willingness-to-pay (MWTP) for clean air in a representative sample of the urban poor in Delhi, India. Specifically, we estimate the trade-off between pollution exposure and prices revealed by individual decisions to adopt pollution masks. By combining random variation in the price of masks with weekly variation in ambient air pollution, we estimate average MWTP of $0.26 per unit reduction in fine particulate matter (PM2.5), an estimate that is lower than comparable measures from other settings. We find no evidence that demand is meaningfully higher when: (i) we provide information about the health impacts of PM2.5 and (ii) the government rolls out an unprecedented-scale mask distribution campaign. Mean estimates of MWTP, however, mask substantial heterogeneity: our data suggest that demand for clean air is significantly higher for high-income, more-educated, and male individuals. This suggests economic growth may be critical for India to substantially clean its air, over the short and medium-term. [1] "Indoor Air Quality, Information, and Socio-Economic Status: Evidence from Delhi" Michael Greenstone, Kenneth Lee, and Harshil Sahai. 2021. Abstract: Delhi faces some of the world’s highest concentrations of PM2.5, the most damaging form of air pollution. Although awareness of outdoor air pollution is rising across the world, there is limited information on indoor air pollution (IAP) levels, particularly in heavily polluted cities like Delhi. Even less evidence exists on how IAP varies by socio-economic status (SES), and whether or not addressing information gaps can change defensive investments against IAP. In this paper, we deploy Indoor Air Quality Monitors (IAQMs) in thousands of Delhi households across varying socio-economic strata in order to document IAP levels during the peak wintertime air pollution period. Across high and low SES households, we document indoor PM2.5 levels that are: (1) extraordinarily high — more than 20 times World Health Organization (WHO) standards; (2) only 10 percent lower in high (versus low) SES households; and (3) significantly higher than levels reported by the nearest, outdoor government monitors, the main source of public information on air pollution in this setting. We then report on a field experiment that randomly assigned IAQMs, as well as an opportunity to rent an air purifier at a subsidized price, across medium and high SES homes during the 2019-20 winter season. Published Articles: [5] "Job Loss and Behavioral Change: The Unprecedented Effects of the India Lockdown in Delhi" Kenneth Lee, Harshil Sahai, Patrick Baylis, and Michael Greenstone. 2020. Covid Economics 51(7): 134-58 | BFI Working Paper No. 2020-65Abstract: On March 24, 2020, the Prime Minister of India announced the world's largest COVID-19 lockdown. We summarize the initial impacts of the lockdown for a representative sample of mostly poor and non-migrant workers in Delhi. Using Facebook mobility data, we show that intra-city movement dropped 80 percent following the announcement. Using microeconomic survey data, collected before and during the crisis, we highlight three patterns. First, the lockdown resulted in significant economic costs, with income and days worked falling by 57 and 73 percent, respectively. Second, the lockdown resulted in widespread compliance with public health directives: mask usage rose by 73 percentage points (pp); time spent indoors increased by 51 pp; smoking decreased by 13 pp; and handwashing rose by 10 pp. Third, the economic impacts of the lockdown were somewhat mitigated by government food assistance, which 36 percent of our sample accessed. Over the first seven weeks of the lockdown, we do not observe alarming levels of hunger, scarcity, access to medical care, or security. Yet in our data, concerns remain about mental health, supply chains, and personal savings, against the backdrop of a rising infection rate. Moreover, it remains to be seen whether public health compliance will persist, as the novelty, fear, and media coverage of COVID-19 subside. Outreach: Vox Talks [10/20], Hindustan Times [05/20], NDTV [5/20] [4] "Does Household Electrification Supercharge Economic Development?" Kenneth Lee, Edward Miguel, and Catherine Wolfram. 2020. Journal of Economic Perspectives 34(1): 122-44Abstract: In recent years, electrification has re-emerged as a key priority in low-income countries, with a particular focus on electrifying households. Yet the microeconomic literature examining the impacts of electrifying households on economic development has produced a set of conflicting results. Does household electrification lead to measurable gains in living standards or not? Focusing on grid electrification, we discuss how the divergent conclusions across the literature can be explained by differences in methods, interventions, potential for spillovers, and populations. We then use experimental data from Lee, Miguel, and Wolfram (2019) — a field experiment that connected randomly-selected households to the grid in rural Kenya — to show that impacts can vary even across individuals in neighboring villages. Specifically, we show that households that were willing to pay more for a grid electrification may gain more from electrification compared to households that would only connect for free. We conclude that access to household electrification alone is not enough to drive meaningful gains in development outcomes. Instead, future initiatives may work better if paired with complementary inputs that allow people to do more with power. [3] "Experimental Evidence on the Economics of Rural Electrification." Kenneth Lee, Edward Miguel, and Catherine Wolfram. 2020.  Outreach: VoxDev [07/19], The Economist [02/19], VoxDev [01/19], Oxford Institute for Energy Studies [08/18], Forbes [03/18], The Star (Kenya) [08/16], DEM+ND (ASME Global Development Review) [04/16], Reuters [07/15] [2] "Appliance Ownership and Aspirations among Electric Grid and Home Solar Households in Rural Kenya." Kenneth Lee, Edward Miguel, and Catherine Wolfram. 2016. Abstract: In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are active debates about whether increases in energy access should be driven by investments in electric grid infrastructure or small-scale “home solar” systems (e.g., solar lanterns and solar home systems). We summarize the results of a household electrical appliance survey and describe how households in rural Kenya differ in terms of appliance ownership and aspirations. Our data suggest that home solar is not a substitute for grid power. Furthermore, the environmental advantages of home solar are likely to be relatively small in countries like Kenya, where grid power is primarily derived from non-fossil fuel sources. Outreach: Greentech Media [01/16], Energy Institute at Haas [01/16] [1] "Electrification for "Under Grid" Households in Rural Kenya." Kenneth Lee, Eric Brewer, Carson Christiano, Francis Meyo, Edward Miguel, Matthew Podolsky, Javier Rosa, and Catherine Wolfram. 2016.  Outreach: Stories - Quartz [01/17], Foreign Affairs [08/16], NPR "All Things Considered" [07/15], ClimateWire [07/15], GSMA [07/15], Blum Center for Developing Economies [10/14], GSMA [09/14], USAID FIRM [08/14], Energy Institute at Haas [08/14], Center for Global Development [07/14] Book Chapters: [1] "Expanding Access to Electricity in Kenya." Kenneth Lee. 2020. In An Introduction to Development Engineering, eds. Temina Madon and Ashok Gadgil. Springer. Forthcoming. |